Transgender activists occupied Iowa’s Capitol to protest a new bill that recognizes biological sex.
Protesters held signs reading “We will never go back” and “End trans genocide.”
The bill, HSB 649, defines “sex” as “a person’s biological sex, either male or female, at birth,” and uses corresponding terminology such as “woman,” “girl,” “boy,” and “man.”
According to the Des Moines Register, the bill requires that transgender individuals receive new birth certificates to include their birth sex and current gender identity.
Governor Kim Reynolds (R) released a statement for the bill on February 1, saying, “Women and men are not identical; they possess unique biological differences. That’s not controversial, it’s common sense. Just like we did with girls’ sports, this bill protects women’s spaces and rights afforded to us by Iowa law and the constitution.”
“It’s unfortunate that defining a woman in code has become necessary to protect spaces where women’s health, safety, and privacy are being threatened like domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers. The bill allows the law to recognize biological differences while forbidding unfair discrimination.”
